LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell softball team (3-14) will take on Massachusetts (5-17) in the annual Kennedy Cup clash at home on Wednesday, March 19 with first pitch set for 3 p.m., followed by a weekend series at UMBC (6-18) beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 22 at 1 p.m. and a single game on Sunday, March 23 at 12 p.m.

March 19 vs. Massachusetts
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March 22 @ UMBC (DH)
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March 23 @ UMBC
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Series History
UMass Lowell holds a 3-0 all-time record versus Massachusetts and a 16-19 all-time record against UMBC.

Last Time Out for the River Hawks
The River Hawks recently finished up their last tournament down south, competing in the Cathi Maynard Invitational in Clarksville, Tenn. on March 7-9, posting a 1-4 record throughout the weekend. UMass Lowell had a strong start, shutting down Bucknell, 10-0 in five innings on day one. This was followed by two losses to Austin Peay State, 18-3 and 21-4. The River Hawks then fell, 14-1, to Appalachian State and 3-0 to Bucknell.

Throughout the tournament, sophomore Elizabeth Neeld (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) and senior Emily Tow (North Kingstown, R.I.) both recorded a .417 batting average with five hits apiece. Junior Giana LaCedra (Tyngsboro, Mass.) pitched 15 innings over the weekend, striking out six.

Leading UMass Lowell
Tow leads the River Hawks with a .327 batting average through 52 at-bats, along with 11 runs. Tow and freshman Emily Baumes (Rexford, N.Y.) each have 17 hits apiece. Sophomore Isabel Quintanilla (Puyallup, Wash.) has earned eight RBI so far this season.

Freshman Callie Stubbs (Salem, Ore.), freshman Taylor Dolan (Holbrook, Mass.) and freshman Thyanais Santiago (Methuen, Mass.) all own perfect fielding percentages.

LaCedra has registered the lowest ERA at 5.26 through 49.2 innings pitched and two wins, while sophomore Olivia DeCitise (Troy, N.Y.) has forced the most strikeouts with 40.

Extra Extra
Freshman Avery Spinello-Branch (Lorton, Va.) is eight-for-eight on stolen bases.

Patience at the Plate
Freshman Kate Hardy (Alexandria, Va.) has grabbed the most walks so far with eight, as Baumes spends the most time on base, averaging a .403 on-base percentage.

America East Weekly Winners
Baumes has been named America East Rookie of the Week twice so far this season, as well as one River Hawk of the Week honor.

Scouting the Minutewomen
Massachusetts recently traveled to Saint Joseph's for a three-game series on March 15-16, losing all three games by one run.

Riain Keefe guides Massachusetts with a .294 batting average and a .357 on-base percentage through 51 at-bats. Keefe and Lily Woodworth both have earned 15 hits. Odyssey Torres has registered 10 RBI and Brooke Musch has totaled 10 runs.

Hannah Streicher owns a 3.53 ERA through 35.2 innings in the circle. Natalee Horton has stuck out 34, with Julianne Bolton following with 33 strikeouts. Bolton has picked up three wins so far this season.

About the Kennedy Cup
Established in 2018, UMass Lowell and UMass Amherst battle throughout the year to award the Kennedy Cup to the school with the most wins in the cumulative year. John Kennedy is a longtime supporter of the River Hawks and the Minutemen athletic programs. Kennedy holds degrees from both schools, Lowell Technological Institute ('70, H '16) and UMass Amherst ('76), with degrees in Mathematics (BS) and Accounting (MS), respectively. Kennedy also received an honorary degree from UMass Lowell in 2016.

Scouting the Retrievers
UMBC recently hosted its second round robin of the season on March 14-16. The Retrievers faced Colgate twice, grabbing two wins, 8-4 and 3-0. UMBC fell 11-1 to Lehigh and 9-0 to Manhattan, with an 8-6 win against Canisius.

Haley Luginbill records a.364 batting average and a .386 on-base percentage with 20 hits through 55 at-bats. Emily Riggs and Jerzie Nutile each have five homers this season. Riggs registers the most RBI with 16 and leads with nine runs.

Kya Matter has seen the most innings in the circle and has been tagged with three wins, throwing 48 to earn a 6.13 ERA and striking out 49 batters.